Can hybrid vehicles provide the push for EV adoption.

15 Jan 2023

In 2022, the automobile sector recorded milestone sales of 1 million units of electric vehicles (EVs), contributing close to 5% of overall automobile sales. While there is positive growth momentum in EVs, considering the slew of measures extended by the Government, there still seems to be a long road ahead.Inadequate charging infrastructure, unavailability of raw materials, low customer preference due to the high cost of ownership of EVs, etc., are some of the hurdles which may take some time to be addressed.Hence, any attempt to directly shift to green car from Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) vehicles does not seem plausible in the short run. Therefore, there is a need to provide a policy push for other green vehicle technologies, such as strong hybrid, flex-fuel engines, and hydrogen cell technology vehicles, considering their environmental benefits, for an interim period till the adoption of EVs becomes easier.Hybrid vehicles which combine ICE engines and electric motors working together offer many environmental benefits, in the form of energy conservation, fewer carbon emissions, etc. Strong hybrid vehicles are also coming up as a better bet for the customers considering the low operational cost, no range anxiety and no infrastructure required for charging the batteries.